Lemon Pound Cake
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This lemon pound cake is the ultimate dessert for lemon lovers.
Calling all lemon lovers! This lemon pound cake is a dessert made just for you. The recipe incorporates both lemon zest and lemon juice into the cake batter, infusing the cake with a lovely lemon flavor. But the real magic happens after baking — the cake is generously doused with lemon syrup and then drizzled with a tart lemon glaze, delivering an intense burst of lemon flavor with every bite. The recipe yields two ultra-moist loaves that stay fresh for days on the countertop or can be frozen for later. If you’d like to switch things up, try my popular lemon poppyseed cake and lemon blueberry pound cake variations. A big thank you and shoutout to Karen Tannenbaum, one of my longtime readers, for inspiring this wonderful recipe!
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Pound Cake
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Start by zesting and juicing your lemons. And be sure you zest the lemons first, otherwise, it will be impossible once they are juiced. The best tool for zesting is a rasp grater but any fine grater will do.
Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. I always add dry ingredients in little piles so I don’t forget what I’ve already added.
Whisk and set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
With the mixer on low speed, beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture, then one-third of the buttermilk mixture. Beat in another quarter of the flour, then another third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with another quarter of the flour and the remaining buttermilk mixture. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give a quick mix to make sure all of the ingredients are well-incorporated.
Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula.
Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean.
Set the cakes on a cooling rack, and cool in the pans for 10 minutes.
Carefully run a knife along the unlined sides of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan. Using the parchment slings, lift the cakes out of the pans and place onto the rack, leaving the parchment paper in place under the cakes. Let cool for about 1 hour.
When the cakes are almost cool, make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
To make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice. Add more confectioners’ sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you’d think, about the consistency of molasses or honey).
When the cakes are cool, carefully transfer them to serving platters. Gradually brush the warm syrup all over the cakes, including the sides, letting it soak in as you go.
Finally, spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
Let the cakes sit for about one hour to allow the glaze to set before serving.
How To Freeze Lemon Pound Cake
The cakes can be frozen without the glaze for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap them securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the syrup before the cake is frozen and add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
Note: This recipe was updated in 2022; to see the original version, click here.
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- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
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Lemon Pound Cake
This lemon pound cake is the ultimate dessert for lemon lovers.
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (low-fat is fine) (see note)
- 2 tablespoons (packed) grated lemon zest (see note)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2¼ cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
For the Syrup
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
For the Glaze
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Spray two 8½ x 4½-inch loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray. Line the long sides of the pans with parchment paper “slings” and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray again.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- With the mixer on low speed, beat in one-quarter of the flour mixture, then one-third of the buttermilk mixture. Beat in another quarter of the flour, then another third of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with another quarter of the flour and the remaining buttermilk mixture. Finally, beat in the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and give a quick mix to make sure all of the ingredients are well-incorporated.
- Divide the thick batter into the prepared pans and smooth with a rubber spatula. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the top is golden and a tester comes out clean.
- Set the cakes on a cooling rack, and cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife along the unlined sides of the pans to loosen the cake from the pan. Using the parchment slings, lift the cakes out of the pans and place onto the rack, leaving the parchment paper in place under the cakes. Let cool for about 1 hour.
- When the cakes are almost cool, make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
- When the cakes are cool, carefully transfer them to serving platters.
- Gradually brush the warm syrup all over the cakes, including the sides, letting it soak in as you go.
- To make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice. Add more confectioners' sugar or lemon juice as necessary to make a thick but pourable glaze (it should be a little thicker than you'd think, about the consistency of molasses or honey). Spoon the glaze over the top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Let the cakes sit for about one hour to allow the glaze to set before serving.
- Note: If you’d like to make your own buttermilk, check out the easy method here.
- Note: You'll need 4 to 5 large lemons for the entire recipe.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cakes can be made up to 1 day ahead of time and stored in a cake dome or airtight container at room temperature. They can also be frozen (without the final glaze) for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, double-wrap securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving. (Add the syrup before the cake is frozen and add the glaze after the cake is thawed.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 313
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 59g
- Sugar: 40g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Sodium: 143mg
- Cholesterol: 51mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Incredibly delicious! I followed the directions exactly and had no problems at all removing the cake from the pan. I generously greased the bundt cake pan and was also generous with the sugar coating. The cake turned out perfectly – the texture, the taste – so delicious! Everyone agreed it was the best lemon cake they ever had. The only question I have is regarding the glaze. When I put it on the cooled cake, it turned translucent, not white. I love the look of the white glaze, so not sure what I did wrong. Will definitely make again. Another hit from Jenn!
Glad you enjoyed, Kirsten. It sounds like your glaze was too thin. It should be very thick (much thicker than you’d think) – like the consistency of thick glue. Next time add a bit less lemon juice or a bit more confectioners’ sugar and that should help.
This was AMAZING! We’ve been on the hunt for a good lemon pound cake forever, and this one was beyond perfect. Greased our pan with with baking PAM & also did the sugar, and had absolutely no issues getting the cake out. Thank you for the recipe!
I made this recipe for the first time for lemon pound cake connoisseurs. I followed the recipe EXACTLY using the sugar and shortening in the bundt pan. I held my breath and the cake came out perfectly. It was a huge hit! Great texture and delicious! Thanks for making me look good, Jenn.
I did it exactly by the recipe and it came out like soup, and bubbled over the pan all over my oven. Re-read the recipe several times to make sure I did it correctly, and I cannot figure out what went wrong. I am stumped, but defnitely will not try again!
OMG JUST MADE THIS CAKE TODAAY!!
Amazingly soft and the colour was a nice golden and the tasteee👌🏽👌🏽So delicious
Thumbs up for this recipe👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Hi Jenn,
Tried your recipe today and the cake was a hit! Everyone had their seconds and most importantly my in-laws really love it! I made using bundt pan, hence the look is already a plus point. The cake itself is dense (pound-cake style) yet it is perfectly moist. Thank you for a simple, no-hassle recipe with a perfect outcome.
Fantastic recipe! 🙂
No I followed the recipe just as written. Sometimes I wonder if the big Kitchenaid mixer overbeats.
And you used the syrup? If so, as you mentioned, it could be that the batter was slightly overbeaten. Sorry it was a fail for you!
Never got to the syrup as a quarter of the cake stayed in the pan. I spooned it out and tried to patch up the cake. It was so crumbly I didn’t try the syrup. My husband loves lemon and is eating it. I’m going to try again this weekend. Will keep you posted.
I hope you have better luck this time around!!
I was worried after seeing the difficulties that many people had with this recipe- but I decided to give it a go and I am so glad I did. I followed the recipe but used 3/4 cup Greek yogurt mixed with 1/4 milk instead of buttermilk. I made sure to let everything get to room temperature before mixing (including the eggs and yogurt) which helped the Bundt cook exactly perfectly at 1hr 5min with a perfect rise. My Nordic Ware pan released the cake with no issues and I used brushed butter and the sugar method. I will be making this again!
I recently made this and it was lovely. Question—if making this recipe in a mini loaf tin (8, 1 cup mini loafs), how would you recommend adjusting the cooking time?
Glad you liked it! I’ve never made loaves that size so I’m not certain, but I would start checking them at about 25 minutes. Please LMK how they turn out if you try it!
Is it okay for me to use regular milk instead of low fat or buttermilk? I will try this tomorrow!
Hi Dina, You really need to use buttermilk here. It’s easy to make your own using milk and lemon juice or vinegar. Simply add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a liquid measuring cup, then pour milk in until it reaches the one-cup line. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until curdled, and you’ll have homemade buttermilk.
Made this today for my cousin’s birthday. They loved it! Thanks for this recipe! Will definitely make it again.
Great Cake! I have made this twice already and making it for a third today. Every single time this recipe has worked out perfectly. My sister is not a fan of desserts , and even she loved it. I suggest cutting down a bit on the sugar and adding a tad bit more lemon juice to the glaze other than that it was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good.
My wife and I absolutely loved it! I did have to make a couple changes due to what I had on hand. I didn’t have any buttermilk and only 2% milk, so I reduced the milk to 3/4C and added a 1/4 C of Greek yogurt. I also didn’t have baking soda ( who doesn’t have baking soda 🤦🏽♂️🤷🏽♂️) I used baking powder. I also used bakers sugar, no problems with getting it out of the Bundt pan. I’ll post on IG and tag you.
Thanks again! 😋
What a fabulous recipe! I followed the directions exactly, and appreciated how easy they were to follow. It looks and tastes fantastic- I will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Jenn,Thanks for answering my query on the yogurt, how about a cake flour replacement instead of the AP since it is what I have in my pantry?
Hi Pauline, You could give it a try it with cake flour but keep in mind that I can’t guarantee that it will give the cake enough structure to rise properly. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!